#cinegearpro

The TiLTA MB-T04 Matte Box is beautifully built piece of equipment just recently added to the very nice TiLTA line up. It’s 30cm long, 21cm high and 9cm deep, making it very massive and heavy. Its 1215 grams become 1525 with the top flag and side flags on.

Its core part is made of matte carbon fiber (very neatly crafted) and its put together through a very ingenious mean looking black painted aluminum chassis.

Despite its birth certificate (TiLTA is a Shenzhen - based firm) nothing looks cheap with this matte box and could be easily mistaken for its unreasonably most expensive German counterparts.

The swing away mechanism allows to swapping lenses in a breeze and works flawlessly. It also opens at 180° (not so ordinary) which lets you shoot right away with the bare lens without disassembling your setup.

It features two 4x5.6 filter trays which load on top and can be independently rotated (as it always should be) and can host 4x4 filters as well if you, like me, own this kind of kit. So far the rotating mechanism has been but smooth and its friction is certainly due to its young age. I am confident that its use will make it work just fine. An extra 4“ x 4“ / 4.5“ Filter Frame round would have been very appreciated but at this price point I guess it’s probably asking for a little too much.

The TiLTA MB-T04 Matte Box kit comes with 19mm and 15mm extension arms which make this piece of equipment almost suitable for all shooters’ needs. On the right side (where the swing-away mechanism is located) you can also find two knobs that let you adjust the height of the matte box according to your specific needs. This is a great plus for this accessory since you don’t have to struggle with your rigs specs and your lenses at all. Unfortunately this adjustability option only works with the 19mm extension arm since the 15mm version just won’t allow any excursion). Yet the guys at CineGearPro are now contacting TiLTA directly about this issues and I am positive they will figure this out in no time.

The TiLTA MB-T04 Matte Box comes with a set of 3 exclusion rings (80, 90 and 114mm) for a perfect match with your set of lenses. It’s not a lot but it’s a start. These accessories get mounted on a flexible donut ring made of high quality rubber suitable for up to 120mm diameter lenses. Again TiLTA doesn’t let you down about the quality of its materials. As an option TiLTA should also provide some sort of Flexible Light Protection bag for moving zoom lenses. Since this matte box aims at (and deserves) standing right next to the big boys I feel like its supply of accessories should just be on par.

The foldable provided top flag is just huge. With its forty-nine (49!) centimeters of length makes everything look tiny but this is the way it really should be and no-one has to fear some extra protection from uninvited light. It’s secured via two rotating knobs while a third one looses or tightens the mechanism. No need to say that the bottom counterpart works just the same and can be so useful when you have low-mounted backlights in front of your lenses.

The side flags can be easily mounted and top-extended according to your needs. The bottom knob that tightens them is kinda hard to reach but I guess it’s just a matter of habits.

As the cherry on the cake here comes the 5-mask set that is the perfect addition to this great matte box. The different openings prevent unwanted light from reaching your lenses, ranging from 16mm to 180mm and above. As a personal note I feel it also adds that professional look to your equipment that makes your customers so proud. (I know it’s wrong but it’s the inconvenient truth).

Conclusions Pros: great massive look, excellent build quality, fits all kinds of setups: from 15mm to 19mm, from HDSLR to most expensive Alexa and Epic models. It features an awesome range of accessories (rod adapters, lens rings, mattes) and a very efficient swing away mechanism. Last but not least its price: for what it offers, best quids ever spent.

Cons: its weight (you need to add 1,5Kg to your setup - same weight as the BlackMagic Cinema Camera) but I feel that with its massive size you can hardly have a much lighter matte box. Lack of height adjustability with the 15mm version. I am sure it will be fixed very soon.

Personally I feel like I am in love with this charming matte box and, if asked, I couldn’t do anything but highly recommend it.